The Two Great Commandments

In the most recent general conference Elder Stevenson spoke about the two great commandments that Jesus gave us: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). He compared these to the two towers of a suspension bridge which work together to form the support for the whole bridge. He said, “There is an important interdependency between loving the Lord and loving one another. For the Golden Gate Bridge to perform its designed function, both towers are equally strong and with equal power to bear the weight of the suspension cables, the roadway, and the traffic crossing the bridge. Without this engineering symmetry, the bridge could be compromised, even leading to collapse. For any suspension bridge to do what it was built to do, its towers must function together in complete harmony. Likewise, our ability to follow Jesus Christ depends upon our strength and power to live the first and second commandments with balance and equal devotion to both.” He explained what it looks like for us to have one without the other. On the one hand, “Some are so focused on keeping the commandments that they show little tolerance of those they see as less righteous. Some find it difficult to love those who are choosing to live their lives outside of the covenant or even away from any religious participation.” Their focus is on the first and they neglect the second. On the other hand, “There are those who emphasize the importance of loving others without acknowledgment that we are all accountable to God. Some refuse entirely the notion that there is such a thing as absolute truth or right and wrong and believe that the only thing required of us is complete tolerance and acceptance of the choices of others.” These ignore the first and focus only on the second. To truly follow the Savior we need to love both God and our neighbor. We must strive to keep His commandments while still reaching out in compassion and love to those around us who don’t.

                Both President Nelson and President Oaks have spoken in recent years about the two great commandments. President Nelson said, “[Followers of Jesus Christ] truly seek to live the first and second great commandments. When we love God with all our hearts, He turns our hearts to the well-being of others in a beautiful, virtuous cycle.” President Oaks also taught, “We are commanded to love everyone, since Jesus’s parable of the good Samaritan teaches that everyone is our neighbor. But our zeal to keep this second commandment must not cause us to forget the first, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We show that love by ‘keep[ing] [His] commandments.’” President Oaks also quoted a recent talk by President Nelson in which he spoke of The Love and Laws of God and taught that there is a “strong connection between God’s love and His laws…. God’s laws are motivated entirely by His infinite love for us and His desire for us to become all we can become.” We cannot abandon God’s laws in order to love others, but loving God by following His commandments will lead us to love those around us while still holding fast to the first great commandment. President Oaks spoke further of the challenge we face in navigating the complex issues today and staying true to both these commandments: “We must try to keep both of the great commandments. To do so, we walk a fine line between law and love—keeping the commandments and walking the covenant path, while loving our neighbors along the way. This walk requires us to seek divine inspiration on what to support and what to oppose and how to love and listen respectfully and teach in the process. Our walk demands that we not compromise on commandments but show forth a full measure of understanding and love.” That is exactly what Jesus did when He was presented the woman taken in adultery. He did not minimize the importance of the commandment she had broken, but He did show forth love and encouraged her to keep it: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). He showed love for God by inviting her to keep His commandment, and He showed love for her by not condemning her and by giving her encouragement to be obedient.

                Elder Stevenson summarized his message with this invitation: “In the days ahead, when you pass over a majestic suspension bridge or even when you see a picture, with its soaring towers, I invite you to remember the two great commandments, described by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. May the Lord’s instructions inspire us. May our hearts and minds be lifted upward to love the Lord and turned outward to love our neighbor.” It is certainly not always easy to stay true to both commandments, but that is what we must do in order to be a true follower of the Savior in this complex world we live in today. We cannot have one without the other.